A Love Betrayed
by Tasukiluvr
Summary: 8th chapter! I LIVE! When Taka breaks Miaka's heart, she is transported back into the UoTFG, where she meets everyone again. Will sparks fly when she is comforted by a certain fieryhaired seishi?
1. A Love Lost

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FUSHIGI YUUGI OR THE CHARACTERS IN IT…. THEY ALL BELONG TO THE WONDERFUL YU WATASE.

A/N: This is my first fanfic and maybe it's good maybe it's horrible, I don't know. I'm scared to continue because it might be horrible! So… for my sake and yours, please R & R!!

Pairings: TasukixMiaka (aren't they just adorable?!)

Summary: I'm horrid at summaries, well, it takes place in both worlds (modern & UoTFG). Taka and Miaka are both happily married till he does something that breaks Miaka's heart. Suzaku transported her back to Konan and she meets Tasuki. Will sparks flare?

Chap 1: A Love Betrayed

"Are you ready?" Taka Sukunami asked his wife Miaka. Miaka nodded and smiled, Taka took her by the waist and guided her towards their car. She was looking magnificent tonight in a slinky black dress with her hair tied up in a chignon with a few locks hanging from the side of her face. She wore a pearl necklace with matching earrings, Taka's gift to her for her birthday. "You look splendid tonight my lady," he commented while bowing and opening the door for her. Miaka giggled and took his hand, lightly squeezing it.

"I don't think I want to go Taka," Miaka began, "I'm such a klutz, I'll make a fool of myself!" she continued.

"But you have to go my love, how else can I show off my lovely wife to everyone else?" he asked, grinning. "And besides, I'll make it worth your while if you come…" he said suggestively. Miaka couldn't help but give in, who could resist charm like that?

When they arrived at the function, Miaka couldn't help but stare in awe at the splendor of the hall, marble flooring with a picturesque ceiling of the sky, Italian chandeliers graced the ceilings and gave a warm feel to the room. Miaka came back to Earth when they were greeted by Taka's boss, Karin,

_Next to her, I look like a downright disgrace! _Thought Miaka, for Taka's boss truly did look most magnificent in a black evening gown with a v-shaped neckline that hugged every curve of her body and exposed the tiniest bit of cleavage. Adorned with a giant pink diamond rose shaped necklace and diamond earrings. Her blond hair was loose around her shoulders accenting her sharp jaw line. She was only in her mid-twenties and she was running a business empire!

"Glad you could make it Taka!" she exclaimed and turned to look at Miaka, "and whose this marvelous lady? "She asked.

"Oh, this is my wife Miaka," we shook hands and I noticed a pink quartz ring on her finger, the same one that I nagged Taka into buying for me at the jewelers last time.

"Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Sukunami," she said, "I've heard quite a lot about you, you know! Taka just keeps going on and on about you at the office!" she continued, I turned to look at Taka who was blushing, "well, enjoy the wine and food; I need to have a word with Taka." I heard them say something about a business proposal and they disappeared among the crowd.

_I might as well eat something till they get back. _I thought.

An hour then two, then three passed with no signs of Taka yet. She decided to go powder her nose in the ladies'. As she was about to enter the ladies' she heard Taka's muffled voice from a room next door,

_My nose can wait, I wonder what's up?_ She decided to investigate, she slowly opened the door and what she saw made her breath stop. There was Taka his hands wrapped around Karin's waist. Her hands in his hair their mouths pressed together in a passionate kiss, Miaka's legs began to tremble as tears flooded her eyes. She stared at them for what felt like ages when finally they pulled away. Karin turned and saw Miaka in the doorway, her expression suddenly flustered,

"Uh, this isn't what it looks like!" she said, trying to explain herself when Miaka felt herself advance forward placing a sharp slap on Taka's cheek,

"You! I trusted you! I thought what we had was special! Our love surpassed different dimensions and time! And here I find you with… with this girl…" she spat out that last word with disgust, she looked at her ring finger, her engagement ring, she looked at it, disgusted, twisting it off her finger, she threw it on the ground: tears were now cascading freely down her cheek. She was about to place another slap when the room was filled with a bright red light and Karin vanished only to be replaced with Suzaku, there where Karin had been, he made a tutting sound and spoke,

"I knew this was a bad idea right from the start," he started. They both looked at him looked at him in awe. "A priestess and her warrior were never meant to be together… but I thought that you," he paused to look at us, "had something special…" he stood up and advanced towards Miaka, tears streaming down her cheeks. He wiped the moisture from her cheeks, and narrowed his eyes at Taka. "As a God of Love, it is a duty of mine to protect my priestess from getting a broken heart… and apparently, I failed…" his voice trailing off…

"But I shall replace my mistake by taking away Miaka from you!" his voice rose. "I will transport her to Konan, hopefully to find happiness and true love there. Come now Miaka, let us leave this imbecile!" and then everything faded away, the last thing she heard was a faint cry from Taka.

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"And I pray for her safety and happiness, wherever she may be." Tasuki ended his prayer to Suzaku. _If only I was happy… _he thought miserably. _Only dear, sweet Miaka can make me happy… _He closed his eyes and made a small wish, he did this every night since Miaka left three years ago. Opening one eye, he thought that maybe Miaka would miraculously appear next to him. Sighing, when nothing happened.

"Well, there's always tomorrow…" he said. Just as he was about to leave Suzaku temple, he heard a faint muffled sniff, he went to investigate and to his (and Miaka's) utter surprise they were now face to face with each other. Tasuki's amber eyes widened with joy while silently thanking Suzaku for finally granting his wish. Miaka suddenly thrust her hands up to Tasuki's neck and embraced him in a tight hug.

"Oh Tasuki!" she sobbed, Tasuki comforted her while stroking her back and telling her that everything's fine. The feel of Miaka's tiny curvaceous body against his sent shivers cascading down his back. Smelling the scent of her sweet hair, feeling her delicate skin. Oh, how he longed to do this.

"Now, now Miaka" said Tasuki, "stop crying or you'll wake up the whole of Konan!" he joked. Miaka stifled a giggle, still clutching onto Tasuki's neck.

Miaka pulled away to face Tasuki and he gave her a fanged grin, his flaming red hair; she noticed was wilder than ever, he was wearing a choker with the necklace she made for him. She hooked her finger on the necklace and felt him tense up and quickly let go. His ears were still adorned with earrings and she could see (but mostly feel) that he was more muscled now than before. She could feel his taut chest as she embraced him.

"Thank you Tasuki," began Miaka, "For being there when I needed a shoulder to cry on," she continued. She smiled a bit and this made Tasuki feel warm inside.

"Now let's get you cleaned up and into bed Mi-chan, we'll talk about this in the morning, I'm sure everyone would love to see you again!" He gave her a wide grin, planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"Uh… sorry…" his voice trailed off,

"It's okay, I liked that," said the priestess happily,

"Really?! But what about Tama?" his expression gone from happy to sad,

"Never mind him…" she said, "I don't think…" her voice trailed off, leaving a sentence in mid-air,

"Okay then, c'mon lets go," she clung on his arm and followed him.

_Why is he being so nice to me? _Thought Miaka, _unlike Taka, he actually cares!_ She thought about this as she was clinging onto Tasuki's arm, looking down, not noticing Tasuki has just gone as red as his hair. After cleaning herself up, she accidentally let a yawn pass through her lips, and the next thing she knew, she was lifted off the ground in Tasuki's strong arms.

"How do you do it Miaka?"

"Do what?" she mumbled shyly as her hands lay on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat,

"Eat like a glutton and yet stay light as a feather!" he chuckled, not noticing Miaka's flushed cheeks.

Tasuki carried her all the way to his room and laid her down gently on his bed,

"Now, you can sleep in my room till we get you one fixed up, alright?" he said, adding a fanged grin. He placed the blanket up to her chin and put his finger to her lips as she was about to say something. "Shh, sleep now."

He was done tucking her up when he felt Miaka grab hold of his wrist,

"But where will you sleep?" she asked, "I don't want you to go, stay here with me Tasuki…" she looked up at him with her solemn hazel eyes.

"Don't worry, just holler when you need me, alright Mi-chan!" he said, "We don't want people to start talking when they find you and me in the same room now do we!" he added and noticed that Miaka blushed. She nodded at him and let his wrist go as she drifted to a sound sleep.

"Good night my sweet…" he added before slowly closing the door behind him.

TBC…. (maybe)

A/N: What do you think about that? Please REVIEW!!! Possible continuation IF I get good responses. Pease be truthful as this is my first fanfic. And I'm sorry if it resembles any of the other fanfic's, this is my first one and I haven't been through more than five… well, please review! And most importantly… BE HONEST!!!


	2. A Love Found?

A/N: I'm BACK!!! With (drum roll) a new chappie! TA-DAA!! Hope you like it. Please review and thanks to tasukigirl78 and chichiri's angel for reviewing my first chapter!

To Chichiri's angel: Sorry!!!!! I couldn't see where I could put Chichiri in this chapter. BUT I will try in the upcoming ones! Hope you enjoy reading it anyway!

"MIIIIIIII-CHAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!" Miaka's eyelids fluttered opened and her eyes focused on a shock of purple standing in the doorway. It was Nuriko. Miaka's lips curled to form a smile, Nuriko and she didn't exactly hit it off on the right note but they managed to get along and became great friends.

"Good morning, Nuriko-san!" she said cheerfully, Nuriko was wearing a beautiful lavender robe with a vine motif, bearing pink flowers on the side, _Still cross-dressing huh Nuriko?_ Sitting up in bed,her smile turning to a small smirk. Nuriko sat on the bed and scanned Miaka; her cheeks were tear-stained and her chignon was now more of a pancake. Her beautiful black dress was all wrinkly.

"How are you Mi-chan?" Nuriko asked cheerfully, looking around the room. "And where's Tama?" he asked innocently. Miaka's gaze dropped as tears silently landed on her lap. Nuriko tucked his finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"Don't Nuriko!" her voice rose, "don't say that name in front of me ever again!" she turned her face away as the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. Everything stayed quiet for a moment till Miaka suddenly put her hands around Nuriko's neck, sobbing uncontrollably as more tears cascaded down her cheek. "I hate him Nuriko!" she sobbed into his neck, "He practically left me for some slut!" she continued, "And after all he said about never leaving me, we vowed to love each other till we die during our wedding Nuriko! And he had an affair with some rich slut!" she sobbed into his beautiful robe. Nuriko let her cry as much as she wanted to, stroking her back. When she finally stopped, Miaka looked up at Nuriko, "What's wrong with me Nuriko?" she asked, "Have I suddenly aged a thousand years? Have I turned ugly? What's wrong Nuriko?!" she shouted as fresh tears pooled her eyes.

"Nothing's wrong Mi-chan... You're as beautiful as ever. The only thing that's wrong is Tama's head! It must have been full of rocks!" he exclaimed, trying to make Miaka feel better. "Now, go wash up. I'll get you my kimono, alright?" Miaka nodded and Nuriko left the room, silently closing the door.

"Sooo how's our little priestess? Did she tell you what's wrong?" Tasuki questioned,

"It's Tama..." Nuriko sighed, "He had an affair with a 'slut'." Nuriko raised his hands to make quotation marks. "What is that anyway?" his gaze thoughtful,

"Beats me," Tasuki shrugged his shoulders, "But whatever it is, let's not mention it to Miaka, it'll only make her more upset. C'mon, let's wake everyone up and tell them the good news!" Tasuki said happily.

"Okay! You do that while I prepare breakfast. I'm sure Mi-chan is very hungry!" exclaimed Nuriko,

"When is she ever not?"

_What have I done? _Taka asked himself. _I've lost the one woman I have ever loved and... _His thoughts were disturbed when he heard a groan beside him as an arm laced around his waist pulling him closer, Karin's arm.

"Relax Taka; there's no one here that can disturb us. I've locked the door already," her voice sounded husky from sleep. She snuggled into his neck, "Not even your wife can disturb us now..." her voice trailed off as she fell asleep and her grip around his stomach loosened, he squirmed away. He got up off the bed and put his shirt back on.

_I've got to find a way to get back to Konan._ He thought anxiously. _I'll just leave her a note._ Taka scrabbled around to find a paper and scribbled a note,

_Karin,_

_I need to get my mind off things. I'm sure you understand, but don't worry, I'll be back._

_Taka._

Karin woke up a few hours later and found the note on her bedside table, sighing, she read it. _Oh, Taka, she'll never want you back! Not after what happened! _Her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"Wow! What a spread!" Miaka exclaimed, hazel eyes wide in joy at the food Nuriko had prepared. Around her sat her seishis, all of them except one, Tamahome. "Well, dig in everyone!" Miaka lifted up her chopsticks and was about to eat when Hotohori cleared his throat.

"Miaka, on behalf of everyone, I would officially like to welcome you to Konan, again!" he raised his glass and so did everyone else, including Tasuki who added a fanged grin and winked at Miaka's direction. Miaka blushed and looked down shyly, "And please let us know if there should be anything to make your stay more comfortable!" He continued as Miaka was about to eat, "And don't hesitate to come and ask me about anything," Miaka attempted to eat when Hotohori interrupted, again, "And remember, the servants are always there to help you with anything." Miaka smiled and nodded as a sign that she understood, but Hotohori spoke again, "And..."

"Hotohori, not to be rude, but, could we cut the small talk?" cut in Tasuki, "Unlike all of us, I'm sure Miaka's hungry from her trip here. Aren't you Miaka?" before Miaka could nod in agreement, Hotohori spoke again,

"Well Tasuki, not to be rude, but some of us actually bothered to get dressed for breakfast!" As he said this, for the first time, Miaka noticed that Tasuki was only wearing a black, sleeveless vest with pants. The vest showed off more of his rigid upper body and as she could see, his right arm was tattooed with Chinese characters she couldn't quite understand. Just as Tasuki was about to make another sharp comeback, Nuriko stood up and splashed his glass of water in Tasuki's and Hotohori's face.

"What was that for?!" yelled Tasuki,

"I had to shut you guys up somehow," Nuriko answered innocently, turning to her left to see Hotohori's shocked face,

"Why'd you do that for?!" exclaimed Hotohori, Nuriko sighed,

"I said it once so I'm not going to repeat it..." said Nuriko in a singsong voice. "Now, I didn't slave over a hot fire so that everyone can just stare at the food! I slaved to make this a special breakfast for Miaka! Now, dig in everyone!"

After breakfast, Miaka decided to go for a walk in the palatial gardens and sat down by the pond, watching the Koi fish swim around. She thought about Taka as she watched the fish swim by,

_Why'd he have to love another when he has me? Isn't it me he always wanted?_ As she thought about this, Taka's face flashed in her mind, along with images of all the good times they had. This brought tears to her eyes, she closed them, trying not to let them fall but a single tear escaped and fell down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it away, then she felt a thumb rub it away, she looked up and saw Tasuki, amber eyes filled with concern. Miaka put on a weak smile as she rubbed her eyes free from tears,

"You got dressed," she said simply, eyeing her wing seishi, he wore a black shirt with ripped sleeves, "Where are you going?" she asked, turning her gaze towards the pond,

"I was planning on going to Mt. Reikaku for a few days to see the boys," started Tasuki, "But I think the boys can wait, I think I'll stay here with you, I missed you Mi-chan..." he sat down beside her and eyed the kimono she was wearing, it was one of Nuriko's best, it was in different shades of powdery blue, with a light red and pink _obi, _it had a cherry blossom motif, bearing leaves in pink and red. "You look beautiful today," he said in a quiet voice. Miaka turned to look at him and gave him a warm smile.

"Thanks, you know the right things to say to a girl, Tasuki-chan!" said the priestess happily, "So, you're not going to go to Reikaku?"

"Nope, they can wait if they miss me!" he chuckled,

"Hmmm, in that case, why don't I go with you then?" giving him a wide smile, Tasuki remained thoughtful for a moment and gave her a fanged grin,

"I suppose you can follow me, how about we leave tomorrow?" he asked,

"Sounds good!" she exclaimed while standing up, "I'll go pack; I'll pack our food supplies." Tasuki chuckled as she went off in the direction of the palace.

"This is your entire fault, Taka!" yelled Yui, exasperated, "You just had to go knock up some girl, right?!"

"I wasn't knocking up some girl, Yui!" exclaimed Taka,

"Yea... Sure you didn't..." said Yui sarcastically, putting her head in her hands, "How am I suppose to know she's alright?" Yui was almost in tears now, just then the door slammed and Tetsuya and Keisuke walked in,

"Bad news, the book has been deleted out of the library records; god knows where it is now!" said Keisuke, frustrated.

"Yui, don't you have anything that you and Miaka both have?" questioned Tetsuya, "If you do, maybe we can use it to reach Miaka, like the time we had her hair, remember Keisuke?"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot 'bout that!" exclaimed Keisuke.

"I'll go look for something, maybe I gave her a friendship bracelet or something that I gave to her..." she said as she walked towards her room. Keisuke turned to look at Taka with a look of disgust,

"How could you?!" he spat, "You knew she loved you with all her heart, and you just threw all of that away! Suzaku was right, you don't deserve a loving woman like that, you low life!" he put on his jacket and left the apartment,

"He's right you know, Miaka's a special person, you don't find people like her walking around the streets of the world, she's one of a kind, that girl." Said Tetsuya, looking at Taka with a mixed look of sympathy and utter astonishment, Taka just sat there, quietly.

_Miaka, I'm so very sorry I hurt your feelings, maybe I don't deserve you after all... _as Taka thought about this, tears silently fell onto his lap.

TBC...

A/N: I think I lost my muse... well, tell me what you think! Please R and R! Advice graciously accepted! Thank You!!!!

P.S. thank you once again to Tasukigirl78 and Chichiri's Angel for reviewing and giving me advice! Hope you like it people! And don't forget to review ever! Or I will haunt you in your dreams... mwahahaha!!!


	3. A Love Known

A/N: Third chapter is in the house!! Thanks for reviewing people! Now, between you and me, I got the inspiration for this chapter while I was, now wouldn't you believe it, IN THE TOILET! So don't forget to tell me if this chappie 'stinks' in your reviews! Bu-bye!

To Tasukigirl78 (and anyone else curious): the tattoo is for me to know and you to find out! So, please continue reviewing and reading!

By the way, from this chapter on, it might be a little bit confusing but please bear with me people! Now, there will be an addition to the story, it is as follows:

In certain page breaks (a very long '……………..') there will be a very long asterisk () divider (), this means that there is a scene going on in the same location but with different characters or it is fast forwarded to the next scene, if you see another one, it means the scene is over. Got it? Good! Now, on with the story!

And by the way, I had writer's block, here and there during the writing of this chapter, if you get my drift…

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"Miaka, I will not allow you to travel to Mt. Reikaku alone and that's final!" exclaimed Hotohori,

"But, I'm going with Tasuki remember!? Please can I go? Please!!!!" Miaka begged,

"It's the fact that you're going with him that worries me, to be honest," he looked up from his papers and gazed into Miaka's eyes, her hazel eyes wide with anticipation,

"But Tasuki's responsible, and you and I both know that! He'll take care of me! I know he will! Pleeeeeeeeaaaseeeeeeeee Hotohori!!!" Miaka was know hopping in front of him and she might ruin Nuriko's kimono, he knows when he's beaten, he let out a long sigh,

"Fine, you can go. But only for one week Miaka!" he said, turning to look at the guard standing next to him, "Bring Tasuki to me please, I'd like to have a word with him about the purpose of this journey." Miaka didn't know whether to be happy or sad, she was happy that Hotohori let her go but upset because he didn't trust Tasuki, she pouted and looked at Hotohori, "What? I'm letting you go aren't I? Be grateful." He gestured to one of the maids and told her to tell the chef to prepare food for two weeks journey, "I'm not letting you eat bandit food! With your appetite, one week's supply of provisions wouldn't be enough. You might get sick and I forbid you to have any drinking competitions with Tasuki's bandit friends! Suzaku knows how much alcohol these things drink!" he shuddered as he said this. Tasuki arrived and Hotohori gestured for the guard to escort Miaka outside and closed the door behind them.

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_Why oh why couldn't we give each other friendship bracelets like normal friends? _Yui thought as she frantically rummaged through her jewelry box. _Oh Miaka, I hope you're okay! _Thought Yui as she flopped down on the bean bag next to her dressing table. She heard a knock on the door,

"Come in," she said, Tetsuya popped his head in,

"I'm going now, Taka's still here though, do you want me to take him?" he asked, Yui shook her head,

"No, I'd like to have a little word with him," Yui stood up and walked past him, making her way towards the living room of her apartment. Tetsuya gladly obliged and left. Inside, Yui sat across from Taka and crossed her legs,

"If you want to kill me, just get it over with Yui, or do you want me to take the cleaver for you?" he said, his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Me? Kill you? Oh, no! Of course I won't kill you!" she put her hand to her heart in mock surprise, "the best way to make you pay for your actions is to let you suffer, alone, with no Miaka… For me, that's enough payback!" she added. She stood up and paced around Taka, "And to think, I was ready to kill Miaka to get my hands on you! Make you mine! Remember that Taka?" She questioned, Taka drew back a stifled sharp breath as he recalled the memory of almost losing Miaka,

_I loved her, everybody knew that! Oh god! Why am I using past tense? I still love her! I still do! _The thought disturbed him; he stood up abruptly and left, leaving a confused Yui in the apartment.

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Miaka strolled aimlessly around the palace and found herself in front of Suzaku Temple.

_A little prayer before our trip couldn't hurt! _Thought Miaka, as she walked up the steps to the temple. She slowly pushed the door open and found Chichiri praying, she was about to leave when Chichiri spoke,

"Come in Miaka," he said in a calm tone of voice, "come, sit, and let us pray to Suzaku for your safe journey to Reikaku." Miaka looked at him puzzled,

"How'd you know I was going?" she asked,

"Eh, just a hunch," he said, his upper lip turned into a semi smirking smile, he ended his prayer and turned to look at Miaka, she lost almost all of her childish features and were replaced with strong, mature ones but you could still sense the childishness in her, "You know… Oh, never mind." He turned away and stood up, he just picked at her curiosity and she just wasn't going to let him keep it a secret, _If only you knew Tasuki's real feelings for you, _he thought before he felt a strong tug and he fell down; rubbing his sore backside, he turned to look at Miaka, "What'd you do that for?" he asked angrily,

"What did you want to tell me? Tell me Chichiri!" she begged,

"No, it's a secret, you'll just have to wait and see," he said as calm as he could,

"Is it a surprise? I love surprises!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together, Chichiri grinned and walked away, not saying a word,

_It's more of a surprise than you'll ever expect! _Miaka turned to face the Suzaku statue, closed her eyes and started her prayer to protect her and Tasuki on their journey to Reikaku and also thanking him for transporting her back to Konan, meeting her celestial warriors has helped her get rid of a little bit of the pain in her heart, for a moment she thought she heard a faint _'I'm sorry, my priestess'_, she opened her eyes and saw the statue glow a faint red, she smiled and said that it was alright and left the temple .

That night, Suzaku came to Miaka in her dream, she looked up at him; his face glinted with sweat, fiery red eyes burnt with fire that would never die, the mark on his forehead burnt red, along with his hair that had an undying sheen to it. Miaka's lips curled forming a smile as he held out his arms, gesturing her to approach, she obeyed. Pulling the priestess into an embrace, he planted a kiss on her cheek that left a warm, tingling sensation,

"My priestess, how have you been doing?" he asked, caressing Miaka's cheek lovingly,

"I'm good, I suppose…" she replied,

"I know what you're thinking about," He said coolly, "its Tamahome isn't it?" he added, she didn't reply; he tucked a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his fiery gaze, "There is a fire inside you that burns with the love for that seishi, my priestess, I feel it…" his voice trailed off, putting his hand over her heart, he said, "But what is this I feel? Has that loving fire been put out? And is it being re-lighted with… another seishi?" he looked at Miaka, she was positively flushed now, her heart was thumping wildly in her ribcage, gathering up all her courage, she replied boldly,

"No Suzaku, I still love Tamahome, but I am trying to move on. I don't want to take it too fast; I might wind up getting hurt again." He smiled at Miaka,

"I understand, you are still heartbroken, I know, I am after all, the God of Love. I know the contents of everyone's hearts, don't forget that," he tapped Miaka's nose lightly, "So, how do you like it here so far?" he questioned,

"I love it! I missed everybody and I'm glad to see them again!" she exclaimed happily, but her expression changed and she looked up at Suzaku, "But, I miss everyone back in the real world, Yui, Keisuke." Everything was silent before the god spoke again,

"That is why I came here tonight," he said, "I have a proposal, why don't you live here, forever? I want to make it up for you, it was my idea to transport Tamahome back to your world, so that I knew you would always be safe and loved by someone who cares," Miaka's eyes widened and a myriad of emotions passed inside her, "And he ended up breaking your heart, I am truly sorry."

_Stay here? Forever?_ She asked herself, _But, Yui, Keisuke, Taka…_ _I won't be able to see them anymore._ She was about to shake her head at the proposal when Suzaku spoke again,

"Of course, if you decide to stay, I can transport you back to your world whenever you want to, you just have to make this world your permanent home," Miaka's eyes lit up at this remark, "But if you decide to do otherwise, I will allow one of my warriors to live with you as a protector. So, which one is it?" He looked down at Miaka, her eyes clouded with indecisiveness.

"I cannot decide…" Miaka said quietly, the God smiled and looked at her,

"I understand but think about my proposals, if you have made your decision just go to the temple and say 'Suzaku', I'll be there. But remember, once you decide, there's no going back" with one last peck on the cheek, he disappeared and Miaka woke up and found herself in bed. She touched her cheek where Suzaku pecked her, it was warm and tingling.

_It wasn't a dream_, she thought as she drifted asleep again.

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A/N: So? What do you think? Hope it doesn't stink! I suddenly had an inspiration burst in the toilet of all places! slaps forehead Hope you like it and don't forget to review!

P.S: Actually I do not know if Gods actually come to you in a dream while you're asleep… but, it was worth a shot and hope you liked it.

P.P.S: to Kristall; if you are reading this, I hope that you do not mind me taking an excerpt of your review to use here as direct speech… and if you're mad, I'm sorry…


	4. A Love Confessed and Returned

A/N: Hey everybody! The fourth chapter is in the building! If you've read my profile can you please answer my questions? If you haven't then can you please read it and answer? Thanks! I hope the new addition wasn't too confusing! Now, on with the story!! And special thanks to all my reviewers! Love ya guys! Mwahz!

By the way, I have a little surprise for you readers… dun dun dun!! So, keep reading. And there will be character death here… yup… so, advanced apologies if you love the dying character… This is also a very long chapter… Also, I think I'll rate this chapter M… I think… you be the judge… and, I am stressing this… PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Many advanced thanks…

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_Miaka… _the priestess's name was whispered lightly, as if being carried lightly by the wind. _Miaka… _there it was again, it had a dreamy dulcet tone to it; it was lulling the priestess deeper into a dreamy sleep. She was in the Suzaku temple, she had Tasuki by her side and her seishis were surrounding her, tears glinted in their eyes but smiles were seen on everybody's face, even Chichiri who took his mask off.

_Is this the right thing to do? _The priestess asked herself,

"You ready?" asked Tasuki, she hesitated for a moment then nodded,

"I'm ready to go home," Tasuki smiled and lifted her off the ground in his arms.

"Fine, let's do it," Miaka followed Suzaku's instructions precisely, all the while clutching onto Tasuki, they weren't risking being separated. They closed their eyes as a red light emerged from the statue and engulfed both seishi and priestess. When Miaka finally opened her eyes, she found herself on her bed, in her room, in her house, in her world. A lone tear escaped her eye and fell down her cheek,

_I'll always remember you guys, Nuriko, Hotohori, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Chiriko… _her thoughts were disrupted when she heard a voice beside her and she realized an arm was tightly wrapped around her waist,

"Where am I?" perked the voice, Miaka turned to see Tasuki rubbing his forehead, he turned and saw Miaka's wide eyes fill with happiness,

"You're here Tasuki!" she exclaimed, cupping his face in her hands and pressing her lips against his. It didn't feel like anything when she and Taka kissed, it felt like an explosion was occurring on her lips as a warm heat flowed through her body. She loved the sensation cascade down her spine, she felt Tasuki grip her waist possessively as he nudged her lips with his, Miaka following this rhythm, quickly brushed her tongue against his lower lip and snaked her tongue inside his parted mouth; Tasuki let out a surprised growl as he let his tongue dance in tune to hers. They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity when Miaka pulled away a little and found Tasuki beneath her, _when did that happen? _She asked herself surprised; seeing Tasuki's expression made her happy, it was the right choice bringing him with her. She rested her head on his chest as he said her name, she closed her eyes, loving the way the sound reverberated through his body, she let out a content sigh,

"Miaka, if you don't wake up now I'm going to eat your breakfast and we're going to leave without you having any breakfast too," Miaka was yanked from her dream feet first at this remark. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and found Tasuki's face hovering inches from her face, she blushed shyly and pulled up the covers.

"There, I knew that threat would wake you up!" he exclaimed happily, pulling away from her face, "Now, get dressed, we're leaving for Reikaku soon." He said as he walked towards the door closing it slowly behind him.

"It was only a dream!" exclaimed Miaka frustrated, burying her face in her hands.

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_Miaka… come back… _Taka said in his mind, he was walking in the old part of town that was facing the sunset. He and Miaka had a lot of sweet memories here; after all it was here where he had proposed to Miaka,

-o- FLASHBACK –o-

Taka kneeled in front of Miaka and produced a red velvet box and opened it, in it was a platinum ring, and it had a lone diamond on it that glowed magnificent amber as the sun set over the horizon. Miaka clasped her hand to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes,

"Miaka Yuki, would you marry me?" he looked up at her; she was in shock and could only manage a nod. Miaka held out her hand and Taka slipped the ring on her finger and pressed a lingering kiss on her hand. He stood up and held Miaka. Planting a kiss on her lips, he could feel the tears flow down her cheeks, "Aren't you happy?" he asked half-teasingly,

"Of course I'm happy! Oh God, this must've taken up months of your salary to buy! I love you so much!" she exclaimed clutching onto his neck.

"Only the best for you my love…" he said resting his forehead against hers. Two months later, they tied the knot; it was a small wedding, only family and close friends. Miaka looked splendid in a white, flowing wedding dress that hugged her waist and the contours of her body. They had their honeymoon in Hawaii for a month, courtesy of Yui, Keisuke and Tetsuya; and returned to have a party greet them. It truly was the happiest day of their lives.

-o- END FLASHBACK –o-

He walked past antique shops and an old book shop. Something caught his eye, it was an old red bound book, sitting behind the display window; but it wasn't the state of the book that made his heart leap a mile, but the title,

_The Universe of the Four Gods_

Taka practically ran into the store, grabbed the book and threw a bunch of notes at the cashier. Clutching the book close to his chest, he ran as fast as he could to Yui's apartment,

_Miaka…_

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"Watch yourselves you two!" exclaimed Nuriko while waving from the palace balcony as Miaka and Tasuki were ready to leave, Miaka waved back and abruptly stopped as Tasuki wrapped his mannish arm around her waist, she looked up at him and blushed, he gave her a fanged grin and clicked his tongue, the horse started trotting slowly and soon the palace was out of sight. Their scenery soon changed too, they were now passing through a forest and Miaka could hear the faint flow of water from the river, the swaying of the branches in the light breeze and the chirruping of birds. She felt at peace here, she sighed and stretched her arms, accidentally brushing her right hand against Tasuki's lips. She quickly retracted her arm and apologized,

"Sorry Tasuki-chan…" he didn't reply but the grip around her waist did tighten possessively a bit. They remained quiet as they rode on before Tasuki spoke quite a while later,

"I know a pond around here, it has a really nice view; how 'bout we stop there for a while?" the new softness in his voice startled her,

"Sure…" the priestess replied simply. Tasuki clicked his tongue and patted the horse. Understanding the command, the horse steered itself into a small path shadowed by trees and soon enough they arrived at the so called 'pond' which turned out to be a lake, surrounded with berry bushes and cherry blossoms which were in full bloom; the beautiful sight made Miaka's eyes widen with astonishment and she let out a gasp, "Tasuki! It's gorgeous!" she exclaimed,

"Ain't it?" Miaka could feel his chest rise and fall as he let out a sigh, "I used to always come out here to think, this is a really special place to me, and I've never brought anyone here before,"

"Not even Kouji?" she asked,

"Nope, not even Kouji," he chuckled. He pulled on the reins of the horse and helped Miaka down. "Hey, I've got a surprise for you," he said as he held her hand and led Miaka down to the side of the lake and sat her down,

"Oooh! I love surprises!" she said clapping her hands,

"Good, cause you'll be in for a real one," he smiled as he let her hand go and went towards the edge of the lake where he started to undress, Miaka watching this, cautiously asked him,

"Um… Tasuki… what are you doing?"

"You'll see," he replied, taking off his boots and rolling up the legs of his pants, revealing perfectly toned calves. Flexing his even toned arms, he started to make his way towards the middle of the lake,

"Tasuki!" exclaimed Miaka worriedly,

"I'll be fine!" he exclaimed back almost reaching the middle, he dived down and popped his head back up and started swimming,

"Tasuki you can swim!" exclaimed Miaka happily, hopping up and down on dry land,

Tasuki dived once more and swam towards the shore. Upon reaching dry land, Miaka couldn't help but be transfixed at the way the sun caressed his whole body in a pale golden wash, making his hair look like it was actually on fire. He gave her a grin and a wink as he picked up his clothes and walked towards Miaka and sat down beside her,

"Surprise," he chuckled, "If you're wondering, Nuriko taught me, he said that if I didn't learn how to swim I might never be able to save a drowning girl and make her my wife," he added while running his fingers through his hair,

"What?! That Nuriko! You know, I bet you can find a wife just like that!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers, "You're everything a woman would ever hope to find in a man, you're caring, sweet, sincere, nice… not to mention quite easy on the eyes…" Miaka continued quietly, turning to look at the half-clad Tasuki; she was absent-mindedly tracing the letters of his tattoo with her finger when he whipped around and caught Miaka's hand at lightning speed; thinking he was angry with her, she was about to apologize when he pulled her hand towards his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it,

"Curious?" he asked simply, when he pulled his lips away from her hand,

"'Bout what?" she asked shyly,

"What the tattoo says, I don't think you know what it says, do you?" Miaka shook her head, "Well, it's the name of the girl that I was planning to marry, but I think she only sees me as a friend and nothing more," he added, "so, I don't want to admit how I really feel about her,"

"Nonsense! It's not good to keep your feelings bottled up inside you know! Besides, I'm sure whoever the girl is, she'll be happy to know your feelings towards her! So, who's the lucky lady?" she asked, trying to hide the pang of jealousy growing inside her and turned away from him,

"You really want to know?" he asked, inching closer towards the priestess, she nodded, "You sure?" again she nodded and Tasuki's face was now hovering above hers, he tucked his finger under her chin and pulled her face towards his, looking into the deep hazel of the priestess' eyes, with his free hand, he cupped the side of Miaka's neck and guided her to a warm, sweet kiss. When he pulled away, he looked straight into Miaka's eyes, "you're the lucky lady _odango_… ashiteru, Miaka…"

"T-Tasuki…"

"I've fallen for you ever since the day I kidnapped you, you were so full of life, not like the other girls here." He started, "But then I knew that you only had eyes for Tama, so, I told myself that I should just love you from afar and I promised myself that I would always be there to protect you," continued the bandit, "I love you so much Miaka, so much that it makes my heart ache whenever I see you run towards Tama, the way you hold him in your embrace, the way you kiss him… but I hide all my feelings, and now, there's too much bottled up inside me. I love you Miaka, you are the only one for me," pulling her into his lap, he kissed her full on the mouth, hoping that she could feel his intense love for her through that one kiss. Pulling away, his heart felt like it was being torn to pieces again as the look he received was not the one he expected,

"Tasuki, I don't know what to say," she looked bemused, upset, not a trace of joy could be seen,

"Say you love me too…" he replied softly, pulling her into his embrace, "I'll never hurt you, I love you so much, say it Miaka, make the pain stop, I've waited so long for you to return and now you're here, without Tama. I love you." Miaka was too dumbstruck to form any coherent thought,

_He… he loves me… after all this time, he loves me and I didn't even realize anything… but Taka…_ then images of Taka and Karin on the other night immediately flew into her mind, making her blood boil with rage and resentment, _Taka… he didn't really care for me… did he? And now, here's Tasuki, admitting his love for me… Should I? Should I return to the arms of another man so soon? _True, it was early, but the fact that it was her beloved seishi melted away all doubts, _I guess it's alright… huh, for all I know Taka could be arranging plans to marry Karin as we speak… _she gently pushed herself away from Tasuki's embrace,

"M-Miaka…" her gaze was transfixed to the ground, her soft bangs covering her eyes.

"You wanna know how I feel?" she asked, lips curled to form a smile, a seductive tone in her voice, "Come here and I'll show you what I feel." She stood up and walked over to a shady cherry tree, arms crossed, her back facing Tasuki; he was only a body's length away from Miaka,

"Miaka, I'm sorry if…" the sentence hung in mid air as she turned to face her seishi and flung her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his, it wasn't like anything in the dream she had, it was better, heck it was ten times better! An explosion was occurring everywhere right there and then, his spicy cinnamon scent hung around them. Tasuki pulled away a little bit, to the disappointment of his beloved priestess,

"So soon?" she asked languidly, twirling a lock of his fiery hair in her fingers. He was resting his forehead against hers; he laced his arm around her waist pulling her possessively close,

"Hey, I'm not that innocent you know…" he said huskily, adding a fanged grin.

"Bring it," replied the priestess as he pushed her towards the tree behind them. Nudging her lips with his, he slipped his tongue into her luxuriant, warm, welcoming mouth and caressed her tongue with slow, tantalizing silken swipes. She was shy at first, content with following his lead but she quickly began to assert herself. Her tongue swipes became bolder and Tasuki let out a surprised growl. Her hands traveled down to his slim waist and back up again, resting on his rigid chest, feeling the quickened beat of his heart. Miaka finally pulled away, panting for breath,

"So soon?" Tasuki said half-teasingly. Moving his lips down to the base of her jaw where he kissed the fluttering pulse, Miaka let out a surprised giggle; he drew circles with his tongue and nipped lightly at the skin on her neck. _She smells like lavender_, he thought as he buried his face in her auburn tresses, breathing in deeply her womanly scent. "You smell nice _odango…_" he commented, they stayed that way for what seemed like an perpetuity when Miaka broke the silence,

"It's getting dark; it'll be dangerous to ride alone at night,"

"Hey, don't worry alright? I'll always be there to protect you…" he said huskily, removing his grip from her waist, "Go freshen yourself up, I'll get dressed and saddle up the horse." They left Tasuki's secret lake and rode off towards the sun set, "you know, you haven't told me how you really felt yet," he teased her,

"Need I say more?" she retorted, tracing the contours that lay beneath his shirt with her finger, she looked up at him,

"It'll be nice to hear you say it," he whispered softly,

"If it makes you happy," she said seductively, "ashiteru, Tasuki-chan… I love you," sighing, she rested her head on his chest and was lulled to sleep by the sound of his beating heart.

They both arrived at the stronghold on Reikaku hours later. Carrying a sleeping priestess in his arms, he could see that the lights in Kouji's room were still on. No one seemed to be guarding the stronghold.

_Hmm, strange… must be on an ambush… _thought the bandit leader, _ I know, I'll surprise Kouji in his room… _he thought mischievously, its been at least a month since he didn't visit the stronghold, Hotohori insisted that he lived in the palace. It was like a ghost town, the corridors were empty, and no one was outside. The only sounds were Miaka's deep breathing and the sound of his footsteps. Upon reaching Kouji's room, the leader took a deep breath and plastered a smile across his face, closing his eyes, he barged into the room, "Genrou's back!" he exclaimed. It was a little too loud and Miaka woke up,

"We're here?" she asked placing herself on the ground, "that was fast," she yawned and rested her head on Tasuki's chest. His breathing was shallow, she looked up at him, "What's wrong Tasuki-chan?" she asked concerned,

"K-Kou-Kouji?" he stammered, she followed his gaze towards the bed, she clasped her mouth with her hand as tears pooled her eyes, there lay a very still Kouji, his breathing was quick and shallow and he had a pained look on his face, bloodstains were visible from the bandage wrapped around his chest and shoulder. The stronghold healer sat by his side and turned to find the old leader standing in the doorway, "Wha-what happened?" stammered Tasuki, approaching the bed with Miaka clinging on his arm.

"Apparently, they ambushed the wrong village; the villagers knew how to fight back, Kouji got hit twice with arrows, once through his chest and one went through his shoulder," he pointed out the bandages, "they were poison-tipped arrows, its working its way around Kouji's body as we speak. Only a miracle would save him now," said the healer,

"Hey Kouji, wake up buddy, I know I haven't been here for a long time but that's no reason to play this practical joke on me, right?" he asked, tears welling up in his eyes, he gently shook Kouji's shoulder and his face screwed up and he moaned in pain, his eyelids slowly opened and he found the leader and priestess by his side, Kouji tried his best to smile and sit up but it pained him too much, the healer gently helped him back down,

"Hey Gen, Miaka," he acknowledged them both, his voice coming out in a small whisper, seeing the pained look on his best friend's face, he continued talking, "Sorry but this ain't a practical joke Gen… my time's almost up, I can feel it Gen, I'm sorry…" his voice trailed off, Tasuki was too shocked to speak, then he remembered something,

-o- FLASHBACK –o-

"Here bring this medicine with you, you might need it. I've enhanced it with my chi so it should heal almost any wound," Mitsukake placed the small jar in his friend's palm,

"Thanks Mitsukake, so how do I use it? Drink it? Sprinkle it?"

"Just a few sprinkles over the wound should do it," The fiery haired seishi nodded and placed the small jar in a pouch on the horse's saddle.

-o- END FLASHBACK –o-

Kouji's face screwed up again, "It's almost time for me to go Gen,"

"No, no, no, Mitsukake gave me medicine before we left. I'll be right back." Tasuki stood up to leave when Kouji grabbed his wrist,

"No Gen, it's too late,"

"It's not too late, I'll be back in a flash, just hang on Kouji," Tasuki bolted out the door, leaving Miaka and Kouji, he turned to look at Miaka and stroked the side of her face,

"Can I ask you to do me a favor?" he asked, the priestess nodded, "I'll be gone soon and Genrou once confessed to me his love for you. All I ask is something simple, can you take care of him for me? And can you promise to me that you would love that fang boy forever?" Miaka was surprised at this,

_Does everyone know he loves me? _She asked herself,

"Well, promise me?" he asked and coughed,

"Yes... I promise, just stay still and don't talk, you need to save your energy, you have to get better!" she exclaimed, he smiled and closed his eyes, then she couldn't see the rise and fall of his chest anymore,

"He's gone," the healer said solemnly, just then Tasuki arrived carrying the medicine filled jar,

"Told you I'll be back in a flash, it's my ability remember? Speed!" he kneeled at Kouji's side, he seems to be at peace, then he noticed that Kouji's chest wasn't rising and falling anymore, he couldn't believe his eyes, "Kouji, stop playing this sick joke on me… please…" frustration in his voice, "Kouji!" he shouted and started sobbing. Reflexively, Miaka put her arms around Tasuki,

"He's in a better place now, Tasuki-chan, remember that," she said soothingly, "Come on, lets use the water to heal his wounds, it might not bring him back but at least he'll look better, right?" Miaka said gently, calming him down, he stopped and nodded, unscrewing the cap of the jar he sprinkled the water over Kouji's lifeless body, the wounds healed almost immediately, "There, he looks much better now, doesn't he?" The liquid healed the wounds and fixed his clothes, "Come on, let's go take a walk and leave the healer to fix up Kouji's body for his funeral alright?" Miaka asked soothingly, and left the room with a pained Tasuki by her side,

"He was a great friend…" said Tasuki "A great fighter too," he sighed and entered a room, his old room, Miaka followed him inside. Once in, she closed the door and sat down on the bed next to Tasuki,

"Why don't you go to sleep? I'm sure you're tired after the trip here." She suggested stroking the side of his face. Tasuki nodded and lied down on the soft bed. Flashing him a radiant smile, she tucked him up and was about to leave when Tasuki grabbed her wrist and flashed her a 'where do you think you're going?' smile,

"You know, my best friend just died and you're leaving me alone in this room? I thought you loved me!" he said, teasing her while caressing her hand all this time,

"Fine, I'll stay… scoot," she said, gesturing Tasuki to make space for her. She climbed into bed next to him and faced him; in the pale glow of the moonlight, she could see a tear roll down his cheek and she reached to wipe it away. Smiling, she pressed her lips against his softly and faced away, soon falling asleep in her new lover's embrace.

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A/N: I didn't know whether to use wo ai ni or ashiteru… as you can see, I chose ashiteru, if I'm wrong please tell me. Thank You!!

P.S: don't forget to review, thanks,

P.P.S: don't forget to review, thanks,

P.P.P.S: don't forget to review, thanks.

P.P.P.P.S: need I say more?


	5. Untitled

A/N: I'm back! Miss me?! Sorry for the extremely long wait! I came up with the flu and coupled with my muse never coming back from lunch, resulted in the delay of the chapter being written and posted. But I'm better now and I found my muse and strapped her to a chair, so here's the fifth chapter! Thanks to all my reviewers! Please R&R this chappie! Toodle-oo!!!

To Merilee: I guess I'll stick to the anime/manga version! Thanks! Please review!

To KittyLynne: Thank you for taking your time in reviewing! I hope your project goes well. Whatever it is... I was just wondering about one thing... WHEN ARE YOU CONTINUING LEATHER AND LACE?!?!?! That was an extremely stupendous awesome fic!!!!!! OMG!!

To Tasukigirl78: I know exactly how you feel! I mean, I cried when I did that 'Tasuki admitting his love' scene, and I'm the writer! Please review this chappie!

To Chichiri's angel: Why do you want me to kill Taka so much? I have my reasons, what's yours? Please review!

Setting: This chapter takes place after Kouji's funeral.

P.S. I have made Suzaku very... evilly demented here... yea... so, if you guys don't like it, I don't mind deleting the whole scene... yea... Happy reading! And please review! Thank you!

P.P.S. Even though Kouji died, I know I'm supposed to make Tasuki all sad and mourn 24/7, but I couldn't bear to write him like that. So, he's not SERIOUSLY sad here. Sorry if that bugs you guys!

P.P.P.S. Yes, I am aware that you're supposed to do P.S.'s at the end. Just so ya know...

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Bright sunlight bathed the room and its rays caressed the sleeping priestess' face. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she cringed at the light,

_Is it midday already?_ She asked herself. Getting up, she yawned and stretched her arms. Taking in her surroundings, she realized that she really was in Tasuki's room! A realization struck her, she cautiously looked down at herself and she let out a small sigh of relief, _phew! Fully dressed! Atta girl Miaka!_ She quietly congratulated herself. She scanned the empty room and found a kimono neatly laid out for her on a chair nearby with a small piece of paper on it, taking the note, she attempted to read it, _Chinese... _she thought. Sighing, she put it aside and put on the red under robe and proceeded with putting on the pink kimono, tying the equally vibrant coloured red _obi _around her waist and tucking the note in her sleeve; she scanned her reflection in the mirror. Satisfied, she combed her hair and put in a loose ponytail tied with a white ribbon and a few locks of hair hanging by the side of her face, _now to find Tasuki-kun._

She swiftly made her way to the door, turned the knob and popped her head outside. The corridors were empty and silent except for the rustle of the leaves,

"Hmm... wonder where everyone is," she said and rubbed her stomach, "I'm hungry!" she exclaimed. Knowing that she won't get her hunger sated by standing there, she attempted to find the dining hall,

"Good morning!" greeted a chipper, female voice behind her. A female of about 17 stood there, her ebony locks falling in a smooth waterfall over her shoulders, framing her heart shaped face, complementing her peachy complexion and bright indigo orbs,

"Good... morning..." Miaka replied, unsure,

"Oh, how rude of me!" she exclaimed apologetically, "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name's Izumi! The infamous female bandit of Mt. Reikaku!" she let out her hand and Miaka shook it,

"Miaka, pleased to meet you!" she replied, equally chipper, "Now, where is everybody?" asked the priestess,

"Cemetery and then ambush," replied Izumi,

"Oh yes, Kouji died..." Said the priestess sadly, "I don't suppose you can read Chinese..." Miaka questioned,

"Um... I'm Chinese, so yeah, I can read Chinese..." the female bandit replied sarcastically,

"Ah, yes silly me! Can you read this please?" Miaka handed her the note and Izumi read it,

"Hmm, it's from Genrou, he said if you need anything, just ask around; he won't be back for awhile,"

"Oh... okay then, looks like he doesn't want to be disturbed," said Miaka sadly, a small grin passed Izumi's lips,

"I know here he went, ya know..." she said quietly, Miaka's eyes lit up and her stomach growled, "But, before I tell you, I think it's best we get you something to eat first. Come on!" she laughed as Miaka blushed.

"Yui! Open... the door!" shouted Taka, panting for breath, knocking on the door as hard as he could. He ran all the way to Yui's apartment, holding the bound red book close to his chest,

"Hold your horses!" shouted Yui from inside, drying her hands on a tea towel, she skipped to the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see Taka, "What do you want now?" she asked icily,

"Book... found it... Miaka..." he said between pants while thrusting the book into Yui's hands,

"Where'd you find it?" she asked, baffled yet excited. Taka managed to get his breathing steady and Yui let him in,

"Never mind that! Open it! Read it! What does it say?" he asked impatiently,

"Oh no! I am not opening it! I might get sucked into it again! Once is already quite an experience, thank you very much!" Taka looked at her, his teeth gritted,

"Give me that!" he exclaimed, Yui ducked as he lunged at the book,

"Hey! You have just as good a chance of getting sucked in too, ya know!" Yui explained, "I'm calling Keisuke and Testsuya!" clasping the book to her chest, she grabbed her cordless phone and punched in Tetsuya's number,

"How long?" he asked, seating himself in one of Yui's plum couches,

"Oh, about 10 seconds..." Yui replied. Seconds later, a frantic looking Keisuke barged into the apartment with a frenzied Tetsuya trailing behind,

"When were you so fast?!" asked Tetsuya, gasping for breath,

"Book! Where's the book?!" asked Keisuke, eyes searching the room for the familiar red. Yui handed him the book and he sat down. Opening it, he began to read,

"Herein contained the story of the priestess of Suzaku and her travels around the Universe of The Four Gods in search of the seven Suzaku celestial warriors; in order to summon the beast god of the South, Suzaku,"

"Hey, it used past tense. Does it mean that it's writing a different story?" asked Yui as she leaned over Keisuke's shoulder,

"Just turn the page, we'll all find out soon enough," urged Tetsuya. Keisuke nodded and as soon as he flipped the page, a bright red phoenix emerged from its pages and flew towards Taka, engulfing him in its fiery plumage, and just as abrupt as it had appeared, it disappeared, along with Taka,

"Suzaku no Tamahome," began the beast god, "I warn you, stay away from the book, my priestess does not value you anymore! So stay away from her, a loving person like her doesn't deserve a person like you!" he continued,

"Miaka? What are you talking about? Of course she still loves me, I love her…" Taka defended himself,

"She used to, not anymore. I was hoping it would come to this, come here…" Suzaku walked off towards a flame in the middle of the vast room. Taka reluctantly followed behind, he heard Suzaku chant and the flame exploded, revealing a blurry vision then a clear picture,

"Watch Tamahome, and see how true my words are," he crossed his arms, stepping aside he let Tamahome advance towards the flame,

First, an image of Miaka emerged; her cheek seemed to be leaning on something. A content smile on her face as she sighed, looking up her gaze locked into loving amber orbs,

"Tasuki…" he whispered, pain was pulling at his heart strings and it exploded with grief as he saw Tasuki lower his head and pecked Miaka gently on her lips. Tears pooled Taka's eyes as he heard Miaka whisper,

"Ashiteru, Tasuki-chan," tears flooded down his cheeks in torrents and his knees buckled, dropping him to the floor, as he let the anguish crush him,

"Now you know how it feels to see your lover kiss another?" Suzaku asked sarcastically,

"Why Miaka? Why would you do this to me?" Taka asked,

"I'll be glad to answer that on behalf of Miaka with some questions of my own; why did _you_ kiss another woman? Why did you even get the idea to _sleep_ with another woman?" the god's voice boomed, he kneeled down and tucked a finger under the warrior's chin so he would face him, "you don't know how happy I am that you didn't get any children, I'd hate to see a child suffer with a father like you," he added, his voice filled with poison,

"Did you bring me here just to make me suffer?" Asked the warrior,

"No, actually I brought you here to tell you about a choice I gave to my priestess a few days ago," began the god, "you see, I told her that she could choose either to stay here, in the Universe of The Four Gods, forever, she can visit her world once in a while though," Taka audibly gasped at this, "or, she could go back to live in her world, with a warrior accompanying her of course; so, I wanted to tell you that whatever she chooses, you will not try and stop her or beg her to come back to you, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Taka replied acidly,

"Good, now, time to get you home," and with that the beast god transported Taka back to Yui's apartment.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Wow…" Izumi looked on in wonder as Miaka ate her fourth bowl of rice that morning, in one sitting, "they told me you had a big appetite, ya know," she said, "how do you stay so…" she threw her hands up in emphasis, "petite?!". Miaka grinned at her but didn't answer,

"So, how long have you become a Reikaku bandit?" Miaka questioned to get Izumi's attention off of her eating,

"Oh, it's been two years now actually," she answered, "But most of them still thinks I'm a frilly girl, they just can't see me as a bandit,"

Miaka nodded,

"Did Kouji accept you to become a bandit? Cause I know Genrou _definitely_ wouldn't," Izumi's eyes looked down for a moment and Miaka regretted asking her the question, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Miaka added quietly,

"It's okay," Izumi assured, "Yea, he did; I had a talent in pick-pocketing you see. Kouji caught me in the act one day and I was really scared, I thought he'd report me or something, but instead he asked me to join him and become a bandit," Miaka nodded,

"That's Kouji alright," she set down her finished bowl of rice,

"Do you want some more?" Izumi asked, Miaka shook her head,

"I need to speak with Tasu- ah, Genrou please; now, where did he go off to?"

"His spot of course," answered Izumi, "just go outside; you'll see a dirt trail on your left and just follow it. It's marked by a tree with the letters MR on it, got it?" Miaka nodded an affirmation and thanked Izumi.

Miaka was walking in the sheltered trail when she saw Tasuki a ways off, sitting on a cliff. The gradient of the path has gotten steeper and she was making an effort not to trip, unfortunately she failed and lost her footing, Tasuki who heard a small yelp behind him quickly turned around to see Miaka fall down, in a blink of an eye, Tasuki was by her side, concerned,

"Miaka, are you okay? That was a nasty fall you took, did you hurt yourself? Hotohori's gonna kill me if you're hurt! How's your ankle? Can you walk? Stand?" Tasuki asked, kneeling by her side. Miaka laughed at Tasuki's frantic expression,

"I'm fine Tasuki! Don't worry!"

"Are you sure? Can you stand?" he asked, eyes wide with concern; Miaka smiled lovingly at him,

"I'm fine Tasu- whoa!" Miaka's sentence was cut off as Tasuki cradled her in his arms,

"Don't move a muscle; I'll get the healer to check on you,"

"Tasuki, I'm fine you silly worry-wart!" Miaka tapped him lightly on his nose and gave him a little peck on his cheek, "now, let go or I'm going to kick you so hard the only thing you'll be able to do is lie down," she threatened. Tasuki grinned slyly at her,

"I think I'll like that," he said huskily, Miaka frowned at him,

"Mou! Tasuki's a pervert!" Miaka exclaimed, playfully swatting Tasuki away,

"No I'm not! You're the one who implanted the thought in my head!" Tasuki exclaimed, defending himself, "wanna know why?"

"Surprise me,"

"You're just so damn beautiful, that's why," the 'compliment' sounded pious rather than profane, Miaka smiled radiantly at him,

"Thanks," she said, "I think..." she added quietly, "now, I would like to see what you've been staring at," Miaka cocked her head to the side to get a better view of the sight beyond the cliff,

"Sure," he released Miaka slowly, relishing the moment he had held her in his arms; he guided Miaka to the cliff's edge,

"Wow... nice view..." Miaka sighed, drinking in the vast view; if you looked really hard you could see the peaks of Konan palace, next Miaka spied a body of water a little North-easterly off the cliff,

"Tasu-kun," she said quietly, "is that?"

"That it is; sweet memories, ne?" he snuck behind Miaka and held by her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. Miaka heaved a heavy sigh,

"Tasuki, I need to tell you something,"

A/N: dun dun dun! What happens next?! To be perfectly honest, I don't know, I still have a little of the flu and to make matters worse; I accidentally cut my index and middle finger, so my typing is a little slow. The bad luck just keeps on coming I tell ya!

P.S. To be honest, I'm not ecstatically happy with this chapter, I'm sure I've written better ones... Hope it's not extremely awful! Please review, thanks!

P.P.S. If you're wondering, Izumi has a major crush on Kouji and was devastated when he died. And, she is not a main character, just something I thought of in the recesses of my twisted mind. grins evilly


	6. A Journey For Love

A/N: Hi! I have fully recovered from my flu and my cuts are now just scars thanks to Kristall's tip and platelets! Go platelets! I am trying as hard as I can to get this chappie as good as possible! I'm quite disappointed with myself actually… well, hope you like it! Please, please, please, please, please review!

P.S. This chappie is mostly conversations… My muse thinks it's good to try something new... Please review!

P.P.S. I want to start by saying something about this chappie... It took a long time to complete and post because, unlike the other chapters where ideas spontaneously pop into my head, I REALLY had to think about the contents. Why? Read and find out! Please review!

"Tasuki, I need to tell you something," said Miaka, whipping around in Tasuki's arms. She lay her hands on his taut chest and laid her head on his shoulders,

"What? That you love me? I know you do, it's hard not to love someone like me!" he exclaimed proudly, he let go of Miaka and did his best Hotohori impression. Miaka laughed and slapped his shoulder playfully,

"Tasuki! I'm serious!" he looked down at her and sighed,

"Okay, come here…" he said as he sat down and patted the hollow between his legs. Miaka gladly obliged and Tasuki wrapped his arms around her waist,

"What's wrong _odango_?" he whispered, his warm breath tickling the nape of her neck,

"I know I should hold it off and wait till we're back at the palace and everyone knows about it," began the priestess, "but, I guess I should just say it, since, you know… what happened between us…and Kouji, and stuff…" her voice trailed off and she tensed up in Tasuki's embrace,

"Why? What happened?" he asked, knowing this could be something serious. Sighing, Miaka began to tell what happened in her dream when Suzaku came, when she finished, Miaka cocked her head up to see Tasuki's reaction. Nothing. His eyes were deep in thought and his face was a placid expressionless mask,

"Tasuki?" asked the priestess warily,

"I guess you should do what's best for you, I'm in no position to make your choices for you," he stated calmly,

"But, you're the best for me Tasu-chan, I don't want to leave you… after all you've told me, you've been there when I needed someone to comfort me, you've loved me even though I saw you as a friend. I- I love you… I don't know what I'd do without you," her voice faltered and she started crying softly, "I don't want to leave you… But at the same time, I don't want to leave everyone back home… "

"It's okay Mi-chan; I'll always love you even if I'm not with you. I may not be there physically, but I'm always in your heart," he kissed the top of her head,

"But I want you to be there with me every step of the way!" she objected, "I know I this is gonna sound selfish but I want you, I don't want you to leave me and I don't want to leave you! I won't stand it if I would have to give up someone I love, again..." she grabbed hold of his shirt and sobbed into his chest,

"Shh... Don't cry, it's alright," he comforted,

"It's not alright!" she argued, "Everything's not alright! I thought I already made my decision, but then Kouji died and your bandits have no leader and... And... Oh I don't know!" she exclaimed, frustrated and continued sobbing,

_Oh Suzaku! If she doesn't stop now, we better get ready for a flash flood!_ The bandit thought. He wasn't really good in drying people's tears; it was him who was usually being comforted, not vice versa! A million jokes passed through his brain, even trying one of Kouji's knock-knock jokes sounded like a good option. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, _Suzaku, help me! _His heart screamed the silent prayer and an idea struck him, his mouth turned into a wolfish grin with his fangs sticking out from the corner of his lips. But first things first, he would have to silence Miaka and there was only one sure fire way to do so. Tilting her head gently upwards, his lips came crashing down on hers, almost immediately the sobbing ceased and her lips parted to let out a soft moan and he wasted no time in slipping his tongue into her mouth. Quickly giving in to the seishi's sensual onslaught she caved in and melted herself into his arms. Sensing his triumph, Tasuki broke the kiss, grinning broadly at hearing his priestess' grumble of protest,

"Why'd you stop?" she asked softly. His gaze scanned her face, her cheeks were still damp and her eyes, although red-rimmed, were darkened with passion. Her nose was the cutest shade of red and he lowered his gaze to her lips, which were red from his recent onslaught, overall, he was quite pleased with himself,

"If you didn't stop crying Konan would've been flooded by now, ya know!" he said with a smile, "I have an idea, both beneficial to me and you," he stated cheerily,

"What?" asked his priestess, curious,

"Well, I happen to know of a certain bandit whom Kouji happens to speak of highly," he started, "I wasn't actually thinking of returning to my post as leader anyway and I'm sure Kouji would've wanted him to take his place if anything were to happen to him," his priestess nodded and smiled, sensing where this was going,

"Do you know who it is?" she asked,

"Sadly, I haven't seen him yet, they were on a raid last time I visited," he stated, "But from the sound of it, this person sounds like a first class bandit, a complete package, agile and stealthy yet quite strong and a great weapon bearer," he took a deep breath and continued, "so, I have made my decision, whoever this person is, he's gonna be the next leader, which makes me a free man and able to follow you to your world!" he exclaimed proudly,

"Oh Tasuki-kun! You'd do that? For me? Thank you!" she exclaimed, throwing her full weight to him which caused the unprepared seishi to topple over on the soft grass, with a giggling priestess laying on top of him,

"Geez Mi-chan! Lay off on the food will ya? You're getting heavier!" he joked, while returning the embrace,

"Since when am I heavy? Hmm... If I remember correctly I thought you said that I was as light as a feather when you carried me to your room in the palace the other day, isn't that right Tasuki of the Suzaku seven?" asked the priestess mockingly,

"Yea, yea! No need to go all priestessy on me! Or I shall unleash my superior flame throwing ability and speed on you!" he threatened while narrowing his eyes,

"You don't dare!" she countered getting off of him,

"Ha! Try me! I'll be a nice warrior and give you a head start!" he said while getting on his feet,

"Why thank you! As a token of my gratitude I present you with this!" Miaka closed the distance between then and administered an intoxicating kiss on his lips; she could feel Tasuki shudder under her ministrations. When she was sure he was going to lose his control over the situation she abruptly broke the kiss and started into a steady jog, leaving a baffled seishi in the dust,

"Hey! Come back here you little leg puller you!" he shouted after his quickly disappearing priestess,

"Can't do that! You said you'd give me a head start remember?" she replied, her voice disappearing. Knowing he lost he turned his attention to his undisturbed paradise,

"You better be sure about this birdie, once I go there's no going back," he said, as if addressing someone.

Keisuke was eagerly reading the teasing between his sister and seishi, his lips broke into a small grin, _that's my Miaka! _He silently said. Contemplating on the times how she had always been able to recover after an event, she was just full of chipper life and sadness or depression wasn't going to be her downfall,

"What's going on?" chimed in Tetsuya who was recovering after the strain he put to his body due to chasing after Keisuke,

"She's in love," replied the man softly, Yui and Tetsuya spun their heads in unison and shouted,

"WHAT?!" Keisuke laughed, and repeated his statement,

"She's in love and you would not believe who it is!" he exclaimed, closing the book and setting it on the table next to his cup of jasmine tea. Yui thought about it for a while,

"It's gotta be Hotohori, am I right?" she asked. Keisuke shook his head, and Yui stared at him, "what? I'm always right! See, Nuriko's queer, Chiriko's already in love with studying, Mitsukake loved Shouka and his cat, Chichiri's a monk and Tasuki hates women! It's got to be Hotohori!" she argued,

"Told you that you wouldn't believe who it is, and remember, Hotohori's married to Empress Houki," he pointed out the fact and sipped his jasmine tea. Yui pouted in disappointment,

"Then who is it? Kouji's spirit?" she asked, upset over the fact that she was wrong for once, Keisuke looked at her square in the eye and after setting his cup down, he mouthed the word _Tasuki_. "My vision must be getting blurry, because I thought you mouthed the word Tasuki, funny huh?" she giggled and stopped at seeing Keisuke's serious expression, "What? You're serious?" she said. Tetsuya who was administering an ice pack on his sore legs stared at Keisuke for tell tale signs of lies, nothing,

"It seems that the so-called 'woman hater' has been harbouring feelings for Miaka for a long time but was considerate enough not to try an steal her away from-" his sentence was cut off as a blinding red light filled the room and then subsided to a smooth red pulse and disappeared completely leaving a sobbing Taka on the floor. "-him." He continued while pointing at the mass of tear shedding, flesh and blood on the floor. Yui glared at him and Keisuke shrugged his shoulders and mouthed; _what?_

Female instincts quickly taking over, Yui kneeled by his side and wiped his tears away, Taka looked up at her, she gave him a warm smile and he stopped sobbing,

"Why are you being nice to me?" he asked, Yui shrugged her shoulders,

"Eh, female instincts," she replied and helped him up, he seated himself on a nearby armchair while Yui went to the kitchen and fixed him a cup of jasmine tea, when she returned Taka accepted the cup gratefully and took a sip,

"Jasmine..." he said simply then tears started to flow down his cheeks, but he remained his composure, "it was Miaka's favourite. I always made a cup for her everyday, now, it's Tasuki's turn," setting the cup aside he buried his face in his arms but kept silent, he got up and silently made his way to the toilet and locked the door behind him,

"Think he knows?" asked Tetsuya,

"Gee, ya think?" Yui answered sarcastically,

Taka stared at his reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror of Yui's toilet; dark circles were present under his eyes, his eyes were dull coloured and his hair was all mussed up. Glaring at his reflection he resisted the urge to smash the mirror and resorted to splashing his face with handfuls of cold tap water. Plopping down on the floor, he began to contemplate in what an utter fool he has become,

"I'm useless," he insulted himself, "I don't have a reason to live anymore," getting up, he opened Yui's medicine cabinet and grabbed bottles of pills off the shelves. Unscrewing a cap off of a full bottle he emptied the contents into his palm, "goodbye world, I hope you take care of Miaka for me Tasuki, don't be an ass to her like I did..." at these last words, he swallowed the pills in his hands and closed his eyes as the medicine worked its dosage around his body. He was already too drowsy and weak by the time his cell phone rang, belting out a popular ballad at maximum volume.

"Isn't he going to answer his phone?" asked an irritated Tetsuya, "my legs are giving me enough pain thank you very much!" he grabbed a nearby cushion and attempted to drown out the sound from the toilet by covering his ears,

"His phone's been ringing for a minute now, why hasn't he answered the call yet?" asked Yui, rubbing her goose fleshed arms,

"Something's not right," agreed Keisuke. He got up and knocked on the toilet door, "Hey! Is everything alright in there?" he pressed his ear to the door, expecting at least a small sob. When nothing emanated from the door, he began to panic a little bit, "Taka?" he asked, banging his fist on the door, he turned the knob only to find it locked, "Oh God! Yui! Get the key!" he shouted while a speeding blonde blur ran past him, pushing him aside. Yui attempted to move as fast as she could,

"Oh God, oh God! All my medicine's in there!" Yui exclaimed, panicking as her fingers fumbled with the keys. Keisuke could feel his blood run cold,

"You don't think?" when the door was finally unlocked; he flung the door open and saw Taka, unconscious and on the floor. Yui's medicine bottles were scattered all over the floor and an empty one was cradled in Taka's palm, "Ambulance, quick!" he commanded at a shocked Yui. She complied and somehow gathered enough composure to bark a command at the person on the other side of the phone, Keisuke rushed to Taka's side and checked his pulse, "Extremely weak but at least he's alive," he gathered Taka into his arms Yui immediately opened the door to allow Keisuke outside. The ambulance pulled into the apartment's driveway and two men in uniforms immediately got out from the ambulance and wheeled Taka into the ambulance after taking him from Keisuke's arms,

"I'll follow him, you and Tetsuya can drive there," Yui offered. Keisuke nodded and went to get Tetsuya.

_At the hospital a few hours later. Keisuke was reading the book, Yui was pacing impatiently as a doctor treats Taka inside a room, Tetsuya went to get coffee._

The sound of doors being opened caught Yui's attention and a doctor stepped out, he looked exhausted and solemn,

"What's his condition?" asked Yui immediately. Thinking she was Taka's wife, the doctor put his hand on her shoulder,

"Your husband's in a coma and we've put him on life support," he began, "he's instable and he has, sadly, only a twenty percent chance of full recovery; my staff and I have done everything we possibly can and there is nothing else we can do about it now except pray he hopefully wakes up soon," the doctor gave Yui a sad smile and walked away. Yui entered the room followed by Tetsuya and Keisuke close by, they were invited by the sound of beeping machines and a pale Taka lying on the bed, an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth,

"Oh God," Yui whispered and looked away,

"How do we tell Miaka?" piped in Tetsuya, Keisuke glared at him, "What? She has to know!"

"That's right, she may love Tasuki now but she has to know about Taka's suicide attempt," agreed Yui,

"Fine, but how do we tell her? She doesn't sound like she's gonna leave the stronghold soon but she is bringing Tasuki here," both people looked at Keisuke,

"Tasuki? Miaka's bringing Tasuki back here?" Keisuke nodded, "Well she better hurry, or he's gonna die."

Miaka found herself being carried all the way to the stronghold by Tasuki in his usual bandit style, flung over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes,

"Tasuki! As your priestess I demand you to put me down immediately!" she shrieked as she wriggled in Tasuki's grip,

"Nothin' doin'! I caught up to you and now you're mine!" Tasuki laughed evilly and suddenly Miaka stopped trying to break free, instead she just stayed still but tense, "Miaka?" Tasuki stopped and gently laid her down, "what's wrong?" he held her by the shoulders and gently shook her. Her eyes looked distant and she was so very pale,

"I... don't... know..." she said quietly, "it... hurts... so much..."

"What? What hurts? Is it your leg?" Miaka shook her head,

"It's inside, I feel like I'm... being torn... to pieces..." she looked up at Tasuki, fear clear written all over her features, "It hurts... so much, I need to get back..." she attempted to stand up but fell in a crumpled heap on the ground, "It's... Taka, Tasuki, something's not right with Taka!" Tasuki gathered her into his arms and she started crying,

"But, I need to find the person Kouji was talking about, to be leader," he tried reasoning with her, the truth was, he didn't want to face Taka, after what he did to Miaka, he deserved to die, but Miaka was so upset. Suddenly Miaka stopped crying and her eyes widened,

"Izumi..."

-o- FLASHBACK-o-

"So, whaf weafons can you fandle?" asked Miaka, her mouth full of rice,

"Everything," replied Izumi simply, Miaka stared at her after swallowing her mouthful,

"Everything?" Izumi nodded; a proud smile on her face, "swords?"

"Yep!"

"Daggers?"

"Yep!"

"Bow and arrows?" Izumi sighed,

"What part of I can handle every single weapon do you not understand?"

"I can't believe it! Kouji must be really proud to have you as a Reikaku bandit!" Miaka looked at her in awe,

"I suppose, he was always saying that I would make a great leader someday, but I think he's just joking," Izumi waved her hand as if brushing the notion aside.

-o-END FLASHBACK-o-

"Who's Izumi?" Tasuki asked, puzzled,

"It's the girl, Kouji hand picked her himself, she _is _stealthy, this morning she snuck up on me and I didn't hear anything! And she can handle _every _weapon, swords, arrows, everything! It's got to be her!" Miaka exclaimed,

"Miaka, are you okay? Do you have a fever?" Tasuki grinned at her,

"Are you implying that I'm delusional Tasuki of the Suzaku seven?" Miaka glared at him, "Now, let me introduce you to her, the sooner we get there the sooner..." she stopped in mid-sentence and looked up at her seishi, "Tasuki I know this is sudden but please, can you do it? For me?" she pleaded, Tasuki smiled warmly at her,

"Of course, didn't I say that I'd do anything for you? Now hold on tight, we're going seishi speed!" Miaka squealed as Tasuki ran at the speed of light.

Once at the stronghold they were greeted by a crowd of bandits, there seems to be a fight going on, "what in Suzaku's name is going on here!?" Tasuki demanded,

"Oh, hey boss! Sosuke pissed Izumi off again and they're settling it with a sword fight!" answered one of the bandits,

"Izumi? Isn't that the girl you were talking about Mi-chan?" Miaka nodded,

"I wonder who is winning," Miaka asked quietly,

"Are you kidding? Izumi of course! We all know that! That girl's a fighting machine! She can bear every single weapon you throw at her with ease!" replied the bandit. Miaka tugged at Tasuki's shirt,

"See? She's got to be the one Kouji was talking about! Come on, let's go get her and then we can go back to my world!" Tasuki nodded,

"Are you feeling better? Can you stand?" Miaka nodded and Tasuki let her get to her own feet and proceeded to unsheathe his tessen from its holster, "okay people! Break it up! Her eminence, the Priestess of Suzaku coming through! Disobey and I'll fry your asses!" Tasuki commanded and a path was immediately cleared towards the centre she walked forward and saw Izumi blocking the sword thrusts from her opponent who was twice as big and tall as her without breaking a sweat,

"Izumi-san!" Miaka shouted and the fighting ceased, "Come here!" Izumi looked puzzled but obeyed,

"Yep?" she asked,

"I think Genrou has something to say to you," she smiled at Tasuki and he stood in front of Izumi,

"This is her?" Miaka nodded vigorously, "Okay, if you're sure about it," Tasuki took Izumi's arm and gently ushered her forward towards the centre of the ring, "Okay! Listen up and listen good, I know, we were all devastated on the recent demise of a wonderful leader and friend, Kouji," everyone bowed their heads in respect, "And on my last visit here, he told me that if anything were to happen to him, a special person that goes by the name Izumi, is to take his place, as leader of the Reikaku bandits." Everyone's heads shot up in surprise, "Now, I know this is shocking, trust me, I know how you feel, but it was Kouji's last request and the least I could do is to grant it," his attention turned to Izumi, "look, I know this is a big surprise but if Kouji says you would make a great leader then I believe him, take care of the boys okay? Now listen up, I know, she's a girl, but I want every single one of you to treat her with the utmost respect, just like how you would treat me or Kouji, if anyone were to disrespect her due to the fact that she's a girl, well, be prepared to feel the wrath of my tessen! Capeesh?" everyone nodded in fear, they would not die by being burnt by an fire-spitting fan, "Good, now, on the request of Suzaku, I am to accompany the priestess back to her world and apparently live there, forever, so just because I am not here, doesn't mean y'all still can't be burnt!"

"But how are you going to burn us if you're going to be in another world?" piped a bandit, and a chorus of agreements followed the statement. Tasuki grinned slyly,

"'Cause, I am going to bestow upon Izumi my prized tessen," he handed the tessen to her but Izumi refused,

"I can't take that, I can bear every weapon so I'm perfectly fine on my own, I can just stab them if they disobey my command," she tried to reason with him but Tasuki just smiled,

"No, you see, in the priestess' world, there's no need for a fire-spitting fan, so, I'd like to keep it here as a reminder and there's no one that I think deserves it more than you," Tasuki shrugged the holster off his shoulders and handed it to Izumi too, "it's yours now, take care of it," he smiled at her, "boss." He added it as an after thought,

"Thank you, I'll guard it with my life," she flashed him a teary smile and put on the holster. After adjusting the straps, she placed the tessen in it,

Tasuki stood up and walked towards Miaka, "shall we go now?" Miaka nodded and walked with Tasuki towards the stables where their horse was kept, they could hear Izumi bark commands as they rode away,

"I can't believe you gave your tessen," Miaka stated, "And you lied about coming back to my world! Suzaku didn't request you to do it!"

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong! You see, on the cliff, while you were crying your eyes out over moi, I panicked and prayed to Suzaku to send me an idea on how to solve our little dilemma," he explained, "then I heard a voice, and a reassuring warmth envelop me, it said that upon its request, I was to follow you back to your world, then I heard a caw of a bird and it was Suzaku, he was the one who asked me to follow you, so I didn't lie!" Tasuki grinned triumphantly, "As for the tessen I guess it was time I pass it down, I'm sure I won't need it anymore since eternal peace was granted."

"I still can't believe you're following me, you're gonna love my world! I know it!" Miaka exclaimed happily and hugged him close,

"I think so too, especially since I'm going to live with you," he kissed the top of her head and clicked his tongue as the horse broke into a slow gallop.

There's only going to be one or two more chapters and then it's going to come to a close! The end of my first fic! I know, shocking isn't it?

The idea about giving his tessen away was thanks to my flat-mate and I suppose it got stuck in my head too... Hope it wasn't too shocking or upsetting! Please review! And, for some strange reasons, some of the bits and pieces in this chappie seem very, very familiar, like I read it from somewhere, but I can't put my tongue on where I read it before... If it's from one of your fics, I apologize and I'll get right to editing it!


	7. Authoress' Notes

WOW! I was going through the reviews I got for this story, and I just realized how much you guys enjoy it! I'm sorry for not updating it in a very long time, and these are a few things I just want to say: (even though some of you might not be reading this… --")

To Chichiri's Angel: hey! I am still working on the 7th chapter! I really do appreciate your ideas and thoughts, and want to thank you for sharing them with me! It really warms my heart to see that you like the story, and hopefully will still like it when the next chapter is posted, in the mean time; I wish you all the best with your fic and keep an eye out for new chaps! Till then…

To KittyLynne: --" I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!!!!!! I thought the dialogue seemed familiar! I hope that it doesn't make you upset and stop reading the fic! I really do appreciate the support and concrit you have given me, and I hope you'll be there to review the next chapter! Again, I apologize for using the dialogue that rightfully belonged to you. Hope you can forgive and possibly forget the mistake. )

To Kristall: lol! I still remember and will always remember your 'tips' on treating cuts! Thanks for the reviews and support and comments and everything else I forgot to mention… I will always look forward to reading your fics, and hope you update them soon too! Lol! See ya later alligator! And wish your daughter a happy belated and advanced birthday for me!

To Tasukigirl78: I am quite upset to hear you won't be posting anymore fics here; it breaks my heart into a million little pieces! But I will respect your decision to withdraw from the site, and want to thank you for being such a great reviewer and writer! Thanks for everything. )

To Solo's Orca: I'm very flattered that my fic has had quite an impact on the pairing's you like and dislike! It really is very flattering! Hope you can bear with me till the next chapter gets posted! Don't forget to review!

To x-ys4lyf-x: thanks for the compliment! And I hope you still love the story enough to bear with me till the next chapter is up! Please don't stop reviewing as I look forward to it as well as others!

To TCO-courage02: Thanks for the compliment dude! Really appreciate it.. I love compliments.. I think I'm addicted to it! Lol! Hope you can update your fic and review my next chap! See ya around!

To Raizo Yawe: Again, I am extremely flattered that you enjoyed my fic very much! Please continue reviewing the chaps to come! Even though it may not be flattering, I would still love to get feedback!

To Merilee: Thanks again for the clarification! And keep on reading and reviewing! I will look forward to it! )

Note that the order I place the names are all random… So don't think I'm playing favoritism! I'm not… I really appreciated the reviews, compliments and feedback you have given me throughout the 6 chapters of this fic. I promise to get the next chap posted ASAP, but there is no promising when I will actually post it. And also, thanks to the readers out there who although did not review, gave me a nice number on the story's hits counter! D hope you guys will review one day! And new reviewers are also very much welcome! That's it for now, see ya guys in my next reviews or pm's! bye-bye!


	8. Lucky number 8!

A/N: I live! Please enjoy my latest installment! And I would enjoy it if you were to review! ……...………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

After riding quietly for hours on end, Miaka decided to break the silence, "Tasuki?" startled out of his Miaka induced reverie, he looked down at the face of his newfound lover,

"Yes my sweet?" he replied sweetly with a small grin, earning a laugh from Miaka. Her laugh, so sweet and melodious to his ears, and to think that he could be the man to earn that laugh from her, the one and only in her life, but it was short-lived for his brain had managed to remind him that they were going back to her world to see Taka, _stupid idiot! To let a beautiful woman, so pure and precious like Miaka, to fall out of his grasp, he disgusts me, _thought Tasuki bitterly,

"Earth to my Tasu-chan! Come in!" Miaka rapped his head lightly, earning an irate but loving glare from Tasuki, "you zoned out there, watcha thinking bout huh? Me I hope!" Miaka continued amiably, beaming at him brightly,

"What if it isn't? What if it's about _somebody_ else? What are you gonna do about it?" Tasuki teased and Miaka slapped him on his arm playfully,

"Fine, enough of this, I'm serious now!" Miaka huffed, "Tasuki? Remember when we were at that lake, when, you know, said you loved me," her voice trailed off at the end, unsure whether to continue or not, _get it out Yuuki! It's now or never! _Taking a deep breath Miaka continued, "You said that you tattooed the name of the woman you wanted to _marry _on your arm, and you said that it was my name, did I hear you right? Do you really, really want to be with me?" Miaka was glad that she got it out in the open, but scared too, she was rushing everything, what if it was a water-induced hallucination that made Tasuki admit that? A million what ifs flew through her mind in a fraction of a second, not realizing that Tasuki stopped the horse and carried her off to a sheltered glade, where he gently sat down, Miaka still in his arms,

"Little baka," he said, before holding her so close that even the smallest beam of light couldn't pass through. At that moment time stood still for Miaka, her world had narrowed to the bandit's lowering head and the steady thump of his beating heart. The kiss was long, passionate, sensual, and above all, possessive. When he broke apart Miaka kept her arms around his neck, refusing to let go, another what if raced through her head, "of course it's you I want to be with, you're the only woman for me, if you're thinking that I was hallucinating when I admitted my love, I wasn't, don't you ever forget that okay?" the bandit kissed her forehead and ruffled her hair affectionately.

Miaka nodded and smiled, still refusing to let go. Of course, Tasuki had no choice but to carry her. As they rode their way towards the palace, another thought plagued her mind, _if he said that the name was the name of the person he wanted to marry, and it was my name, does that mean I'm getting married? But he hasn't proposed yet, or maybe he thinks that what he admitted to me was already a proposal! Oh my, I'm confused! _Miaka thought a lot about it, not noticing that the bandit was also in deep thought,

_Suzaku, I shouldn't have told her I wanted to marry her! Now, she's expecting a proposal, I think, maybe she doesn't notice! Yeah, that's it, that's why she hasn't mentioned anything, or maybe she knows but doesn't want to say anything! Suzaku help me! _Tasuki tightened his hold on the horse's reigns and it broke into a steady canter. Hours later, they found themselves in the courtyard of Konan palace, Nuriko ran down the steps and enveloped Miaka in a gigantic hug while Chichiri popped himself behind Tasuki,

"Greetings, no da!" exclaimed the monk, smiling at how he made Tasuki jump ten feet in the air, "hello, Miaka, no da! Um, Nuriko, Miaka's turning blue, no da," true to his words, Miaka was blue tinged and gasping for air,

"Nu-ri-ko..." gasped Miaka,

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I forget my strength sometimes," Nuriko giggled and immediately let a gasping priestess go, "where's our hot-headed bandit now?" Nuriko asked gleefully. Looking around, he found Tasuki sprawled face down on the ground,

"Chiri! How many times have I told you not to do that? Come here you monk!" shouted Tasuki, while chasing a chibi Chichiri around the courtyard,

"Oh boy, here we go again, it took us hours to get them under control last time; guard, get me some rope please," Nuriko said to the guard nearby, Miaka though, knew what to do, and it didn't require any rope,

"It's okay Nuriko, no rope is necessary, I'll handle this," Nuriko looked puzzled, "oh, Tasu-chan!" Miaka called to Tasuki, immediately, he stopped chasing Chichiri and came towards Miaka, "see Nuriko, told you!" Miaka grinned from ear to ear,

"Uh-oh, I know what this means, Chiri! Get your chibi butt over here!" cried Nuriko, Chichiri turned normal and strode towards Nuriko, watching the exchange between bandit and priestess. Tasuki had his arms wrapped around Miaka's waist from behind and she was twirling a lock of his hair between her fingers, they were both smiling, their eyes alight with newfound love. Chichiri cleared his throat, breaking the two apart, their cheeks stained with blushes, "Aww... isn't that sweet! I think I know what happened, eh Chiri?" Nuriko nudged Chichiri with his elbow,

"Yes, from the _very _romantic exchange plus the blushes, I think it all adds up to Tasuki admitting his love for Miaka!" Chichiri tapped the ground with his _shakojou _triumphantly, "You know what Nuriko? I hear wedding bells!"

"Hey! I thought I was supposed to say that! Oh, never mind, is it true Miaka? Tasuki?" Nuriko asked impatiently, eyes wide and bright. Miaka looked up at Tasuki and found him blushing furiously with a small fanged grin,

"I can't tell my brother warriors a lie, it's true," Tasuki admitted proudly. Chichiri and Nuriko looked at each other and nodded,

"Well then, if that's the case, Chiri, I'll take the bandit, you take Miaka," Chichiri nodded and turned chibi again, this time jumping into Miaka's arms, earning a low growl and irate glare from the hot-headed bandit,

"You better not try anything funny monkie! Or you'll be asking for it!" he shot over his shoulder as Nuriko dragged him out of the courtyard and into Konan's busy streets.

_Nuriko and Tasuki_

"I can't believe you told her! Oh my God! This is so exciting!" babbled Nuriko for the umpteenth time,

"Nuriko, I'm leaving," stated Tasuki firmly but quietly,

"You're what?! You're leaving? Where? Why? Oh, so now that you have a lovely lady by your side you just want to let everything you cried over dissipate? You prayed for her every single night since she left and I've seen you cry at night too! Or is it cause you can't handle commitment? Or-" Nuriko was cut off by a sharp rap on his head by a very irate bandit,

"I'm leaving _with _Miaka back to _her _world, Nuriko," explained the bandit, "Stop overreacting, I would never leave Miaka, that would make her cry, I hate it when she cries, Obake-chan always made her cry, I don't know why he did it though," Tasuki said to no one in particular,

"You're leaving with Miaka? But why? She just got here!" Nuriko said, upset,

"Dunno, looks like Suzaku knows about my feelings for her and brought Miaka here so her broken heart would be mended, and now that she's fine, I suppose it's time for her to go back, she said that she wanted me to go with her, and Suzaku gave me a thumbs up so I'm going." Replied the red-head nonchalantly, he turned his head as something glinted in the sunlight, finding the source, he found that it was a small cart, selling jewellery, necklaces and bracelets and rings, and all sorts of other trinkets,

"Hey, Nuriko, think Miaka will like that?" Tasuki asked as he pointed to a necklace. It was a single clear, pink crystal with amethyst tints on it, strung on a fine silver chain,

"Yeah, I suppose, it's really pretty though," agreed Nuriko, "stay here while I work my magic," that was the last thing he said as he sauntered off towards the cart.

_Miaka and Chichiri_

Chichiri led Miaka to the throne room where Chiriko and Mitsukake were in an animated discussion, with Hotohori sitting on his throne, surrounded by advisors,

"Miaka! You're back!" exclaimed Hotohori, giving Miaka a small hug, "and in one piece, Tasuki did a good job this time, no bruises or cuts, yes, you're all in one piece!" he continued after his quick assessment, "speaking of the bandit, where is he?" This time, Chichiri took the liberty of answering,

"He's out with Nuriko, in town," answered the mage, then a whisper, "he did it," Hotohori's eyes widened and his lips formed an 'o' of comprehension,

"Well congratulations Miaka! I hope that you'll be wed here in the palatial grounds, and then the whole of Konan would be more than happy to celebrate with you! Come let us make preparations!" Miaka managed to grab one of Hotohori's sleeves,

"Hotohori, you don't have to make preparations, I'm leaving, soon," Miaka stated firmly,

"Leaving? But why?" queried the emperor. Chiriko and Mitsukake who overheard the conversation came immediately,

"Why are you leaving so soon Miaka? We're really happy that you're back and Tasuki's never been happier!" cried an upset Chiriko. Miaka smiled gently at the little boy by her side, she decided to tell everything that happened to her and Tasuki on their trip. When she finished explaining all the details she sighed heavily as if a big burden has been lifted off her shoulders,

"So, I hope you guys would understand, and one more thing, I'm bringing Tasuki with me," Miaka bowed her head, she suddenly felt guilty, everyone was quiet till Hotohori spoke,

"Well then, I wish you both happiness, too bad though, now I won't be able to keep an eye on you two," Hotohori grinned slyly,

"Well now, you don't think that Suzaku won't let you communicate with each other now do you?" Taiitsukun suddenly appeared, her face hovering inches above the stunned emperor's, "good to see you again Miaka, now, we have to prepare for your departure as soon as possible, Nyan-Nyan will be here to prepare everything, Chichiri, I hope that you will help?" the monk nodded curtly and followed a small girl that popped out of a pink crystal-like orb, "now, if you would excuse me and Miaka, I need to speak with her, privately," the old witch emphasized the last word. After the room's occupants left, a thick veil of silence befell the priestess and witch,

"What do you want to speak with me about?" asked Miaka, when the silence became unbearable,

"I want you to see something, this I'm sure will hurt you, so be strong," Miaka was startled, what could she be talking about? A mirror appeared in front of Miaka and she took it gently in her hands and an image formed. Her lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes, her hands began shaking uncontrollably and a painful lump formed in her throat. It was Taka, he lay, pale and almost lifeless, surrounded by life support machines the only signs that he was still living was the shallow rise and fall of his chest and the constant beep of the heart monitor. Was this Taka? Was this what happened to him when she left? Was it this that had made her insides feel like it was being torn to shreds the other day? Was she actually feeling Taka's life force drain away? She looked up at the old witch's stern face,

"He is dying, out of guilt and regret, he tried to find an easy way out, plus Suzaku didn't make it any easier for him either," she replied, but Miaka's ears were deaf to it all, "You have to go back, he may want to die, but he won't let himself do it till he sees you again, you could feel his pain too remember? It was that time on the mountain; he was reaching out to you,"

"I-I understand, I'll be leaving tonight," she stated, the old witch nodded slowly and for once, gave Miaka a comforting smile,

"Here, these mirrors will be your form of contact when you return, one will be kept here and you and our little hot-headed bandit boy will keep the other," Miaka gaped at her, how did she know? "I created this world, I see all," that was the last thing she said before disappearing and Tasuki came crashing into the room, demanding to see Miaka.

...

_Beep… Beep… Beep…_

That was the only sound that filled the quiet hospital room. Other than the occasional rustle or creak of the sofa on which Yui slept on and the quiet breathing of a sleeping Tetsuya.

She sighed once more and turned on her side for the umpteenth time. Sure she hated Taka for pulling a stunt like that on Miaka, but he was a good person deep down and nobody deserves to die this horrible a death.

She turned the other way and closed her eyes, attempting to fall asleep.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…

"Tasuki we're going back tonight." Said Miaka a matter of factly, twirling the crystal necklace Tasuki got for her. His happy expression darkened.

"What? So soon? Is something wrong?" he replied, a tinge of upset lacing his words.

"Yes, something is horribly wrong and-" Miaka was cut off from her words as the vision of Taka, sick and pale flitted through her mind, tears stinging her eyes, "-and I just have to go back, I have to go, please understand." She added, her voice a soft whisper as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"It's Taka isn't it?" He spoke acidly, "He _hurt _you Miaka, why do you care so much about him? Why?"

"Because what we had was special!" She snapped, turning around to face the ex-bandit, "He loved me and now he's dying! It's the least I could do okay? Just understand Tasuki, it's not that I don't love you anymore, I still do, with all my heart, just please understand that I have to do this." She regretted the words that came out of her mouth as she saw the stricken look on his face, "Tasuki, I'm sorry." She reached out a hand to touch his face and he gently refused, turning around and walking the opposite way.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

A/N: Well now, ain't that an interesting turn of events? Haha. I live! Please review!

KittyLynne: Again I am so utterly sorry for using dialogue and situations that rightfully belong to you! Thanks for letting me use 'em!

Thanks to Chichiri's Angel for her ideas! Too bad I couldn't incorporate them here! Thanks anyway!

And thanks to all for reading! 16385 hits! Woohoo! And during the times when I'm not writing, I read fics and am happy to see new writers and new fics! But I have to admit that Febrerocher's Welcome To My Life is the bomb! Haha. I'm not exactly promoting, but it is different and very funny compared to all the college fics out there! Kudos to her! And check it out too, if you like my fic, hers is 10 times better!

R&R!


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